Another Shade of Gray
by Midnights-AM-Child
Summary: Danny returns home from college to find that Valerie is now his parents' apprentice. Softened from the school year, Danny reluctantly partners with Valerie to fight ghosts. Valerie finds that she needs him with the arrival of a new specter Valerie can't bring herself to beat. Working together, Danny and Valerie slowly rekindle their friendship and something else.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

 **Danny Phantom In "Another Shade of Gray"**

Chapter One: Start of the Summer

Danny finally realized what people meant when they said high school wouldn't be the best years of his life. High school wasn't his peak. College was where it was at! As a teen, everything that happened at Casper High seemed so dire and extreme. With the exception of fighting ghosts, high school was petty and monotonous. Danny could barely remember the faces at Casper High. He didn't remember tests nor the parties that he was never invited. Eventually he would go to wilder ones and throw a few of his own. His bullies were meaningless. Dash and the others were nothing compared Vlad and other ghosts. The girls he had crushes on were became obscure. He had a long relationship with Sam. Even though they ended up separating, he learned a lot. Pretty faces were meaningless if the personality didn't match; that was a lesson he'd learned the hard way. Once his alter ego became public, women threw themselves at him. Danny wasn't used to the attention and eagerly caught them. Those women were only interested in Phantom. Sam had always loved Danny, both Fenton and Phantom. He'd thrown that love away. Despite the breakup, they remained friends. Tucker and Sam, were the only thing that remained the same for him since high school.

Regan MacNeil University had everything. It was a large, diverse campus. Danny now had friends from all walks of life. There was always something to do: always a game, always a party, always a seminar, always a protest. There were things Danny experienced in college that he'd never considered. He enjoyed RMU's large campus. It allowed him to get lost in its size. There were times he was spotted as Danny Phantom, but once the moment faded he became a normal (though extremely popular) college student. More than all of that, he was Danny. He'd become everything he'd wanted to be. Now that he was a rising Junior, he was saddened that it was halfway over. Danny would be in a new stage of his life, adulthood. Danny wasn't sure he wanted that. College had been amazing; the opposite of high school. He'd seen a lot of memes on adulthood. He didn't want to adult.

Danny originally planned to party for a week after his finals; but when he told his parents, they didn't offer much resistance to the idea. That had Danny suspicious. Last year, they'd called on loop until he finally returned home. Danny wondered what was going on. He packed his suitcase and flew home. That was a perk of being half-ghost. He saved so much on travel and saw so much of the world. It also made him realize what he was fighting for. The land was beautiful. He liked the lights and bustle of cities. He enjoyed the quietness and beauty of countrysides. Sometimes he flew low enough for people to see him. People would point and wave. He saw a little girl who had a chibi plushie of him. These were the moments made fame glorious. Danny smiled until he got home. FentonWorks looked the same, but Danny had been in situations like that before. His parents could be in a trance or an alternate reality. Danny's suspicion grew. He tried to faze into his room, but was met with a ghost shield. Danny smacked into the temporarily visible wall and slid down to his stoop. He changed back into his human form and knocked on the door.

"Just a minute," Maddie called from inside. She opened the door and squealed in delight. "Danny! You're home on time! And here I thought you'd stay at Regan MacNeil doing no good. You've always been able to pull the wool over my eyes." She gave him a big kiss.

Jack appeared from nowhere and swooped them into a man-crushing hug. "I knew he'd be here. Who'd want to spend their days loafing in a college town when they could be here experimenting with the family ghost tech!"

Danny sighed. His parents were normal, or as normal as they could be. There was no ghost that could emulate his parents' crazy. He tuned out his father's explanation of one of his latest technologies. Surprisingly Jack didn't ask him to test it out. Danny shook his head. It didn't hurt to be early. He did miss them. "Are you hungry? I made steaks."

"I could eat. I'm going to go put my suitcase up. I'll be down soon."

"Okay"

Danny walked up the stairs and went to his room. He grabbed the knob and twisted. It jiggled, but the door wouldn't move. It was locked. Danny didn't remember locking his door before he left for school. He made his arm intangible and fiddled with the knob. Volts of electricity fried him. He jerked his hand back. His face fell. Someone was in his room. Danny transformed and phased through his wall. He was ready to fight, but he wasn't the only one. He could hear the ringing from the charging of a high powered weapon. Dark green eyes borrowed into his.

"Valerie?!"

Valerie was in a firm stance. She wasn't moving. Danny was in no mood to fight, but he knew there was no avoiding one. Not with this woman. Valerie Gray hadn't changed much from high school. Chocolate-colored skin, big green eyes, long curly hair, thick and curvy, it wasn't hard to see why Danny had been so attracted to her. She was dressed in a simple red jumpsuit. Her arms and legs were very muscular. Ghost fighting made her fit. She clearly didn't give that up. Just like high school, her ghost tech was pointed at him. She might have been the same, but her weapons had an upgrade. The pressure in the room seemed to change and focus around her canon. Danny knew this weapon packed a punch. He didn't want to find out.

"I'll give you five seconds to get out of my room, Phantom. One."

"Your room? This is-"

"Five"

Valerie shot at Danny. He dodged the first blast, but the second hit him in the chest. The wind was knocked out of him. Danny was pushed back with great force. He uncontrollably became intangible and phased through his room. It wore off and he slammed into the wall. "Talk about a blast from the past," he quipped. His parents ran up the stairs. Danny gathered his senses. "Wait don't go in there!"

His parents got battle ready. Jack knocked the door down. "What is it Valerie? A ghost?"

Danny was officially confused. What kind of alternate reality had he stumbled across? His parents weren't alarmed about the lady in red in his room. In turn, she didn't seem startled by their presence. "No, Mr. Fenton," She glared at Danny. "Just half of one."

"So umm, what the heck is going on?"

"What do you mean, son?"

Danny changed back to his human form. He pointed at his ex. "Why is Valerie here? And in my room?"

"She lives here. You know that." Maddie replied brushing it off.

"How would I know that?! When did this happen?!"

"Gosh, almost half a year now." Maddie put her hands on her hips. "Danny, we told you about this."

"No. This is," he turned to Valerie. She wasn't thrilled to see him either. "This is crazy."

"Don't be rude son. Valerie is awesome!"

'Yeah, and you also thought that of Vlad Masters, dad.' Danny kept that thought to himself.

Maddie hugged Valerie. The red ghosthunter seemed to soften. "Valerie's our apprentice. It's been so nice having someone around who's actually interested in ghost tech. It's been kind of lonely since you and Jazz left. With her father in Tokyo... It just seemed natural."

"Yeah Valerie arrives and bam! Amity Park's newest ghosthunting trio!" Jack praised Valerie. "She's almost as good as me!"

Danny frowned. How could he have missed something so major? He started to think back and vaguely remembered moments Valerie was mentioned:

 _Danny had been up all night studying for this test. Who scheduled an exam the first day of the course? Mr. Lancer would be proud Danny thought bitterly. He was still exhausted from Christmas break. Danny had to rush to class and take the test on fifteen minutes of sleep. He could only hope that he did well. He could barely remember the questions asked. He was groggy on his way back to his apartment. He needed a nap. BZZZZZZZTTTTTTTT! BZZZZZZZTTTTTTTT! Danny's phone vibrated in his pocket. He answered without thinking. "Hello?"_

 _"Danny! How are you?"_

 _"Uh, I've been better. This exam kicked my butt."_

 _"I'm sure you did fine."_

 _Danny yawned. He was barely listening. "What's going on with you?"_

 _"Your little friend Valerie came here the other day. Did you know she was a ghosthunter?! The red one, how about that. Her thermos was acting up so she asks us to fix it. Long story short, she wants to start learning ectotechonology. Isn't that wonderful?"_

 _"Yeah, yeah great." Danny was about to pass out. He responded the best he could before deciding to sleep at his friend's Carlos's dorm to sleep._

There were other times like that, but Danny was either, partying, occupied with a girl, or inebriated. Okay, so he had been told, repeatedly. Still how could his parents have thought this was a good idea? Valerie hated him. It wasn't just the Cujo incident that held her ire. She was also still pissed about him revealing who she was to her father. She also didn't like that she'd been technically dating her nemesis without knowing. She was especially mad at herself. How could she have missed the obvious? Danny Phantom, Danny Fenton? She must have been blinded by anger to miss that one.

Danny couldn't deny they looked happy. Valerie giggled at his father. His mother and she looked comfortable with each other. He would have to deal with Valerie Gray in his home. They seemed to be close. The conversation had changed since he spoke. "No, no, the canon worked great. He went right through the wall. By the way, dinner smells great Mrs. Fenton."

"As warm and fuzzy as this moment is, that's my room. If Valerie's there where am I supposed to sleep?"

* * *

Danny growled. He was sitting on the soft pink bed in what used to be Jazz's very pink room. This made no sense. Valerie essentially kicked him out of his own room. Jazzy's room was too girly. Maybe it was too girly for Valerie. He wondered why Valerie did pick Jazz's room in the first place. Her favorite color was red. Pink was just a variant of red. Danny was surprised he remembered little things about her. They hadn't spoken in two years. Danny heard Valerie dash down the stairs to join his parents for dinner. Danny found himself without an appetite.

He decided to call Sam and Tucker instead. They were also home. Sam had been traveling the globe. She had taken up several international protests. Danny was sure she was a polyglot now. Talking with her had gotten easier. He still regretted what he did to her, but knew they would eventually find love with other people. Tucker just finished his first semester of IT school. After being impeached as the mayor of Amity Park, he decided to do what he was good at doing. Danny wondered how Tucker became mayor in the first place. That was a bad idea from the start.

Danny wouldn't mind meeting them at the Nasty Burger. It would always be their spot. His friends didn't answer their phones. Danny decided not to investigate. With his track record he'd find Dash rooming with Tucker and Paulina at Sam's. Danny shook his head. Not ready to face the weirdness of his parents and their apprentice, Danny wrapped the princess inspired sheets around him and went to sleep.

 **(A/N) I've been wanting to write this story for years. I'm so shocked that there aren't many GrayGhost fanfictions. I've been a fan of this pairing since Life Lessons.**

 _ **Next Chapter: Beware the Box Ghost (and the Lunch Lady)**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Nasty Burger

Danny wondered if changing the future also changed its progress. The Nasty Burger had the same menu, employees, and design. "Maybe it's progress that it's still standing. It was rubble in _that_ future." It was always in the back of his mind that he could still turn into the evil Dan Phantom. It made his stomach turn. He tried to do the right things; it was hard to do as a teenager and seemed harder as a young adult. His character was tested twice today. Valerie had taken his room and the bathroom too. Instead of makeup or clothes scattered about, the bathroom was littered with books and ghost tech. Valerie was weird. He remembered her as a hardworking, feisty girl, but she'd become a strange woman. He didn't want to know why she had ghost tech in the bathroom. He'd definitely dodged a bullet not being with her. As obsessed as she was with ghost hunting in the past, she seemed even more so now. She was like his parents. He had to admit, they chose the perfect apprentice.

Danny's character was also tested when Kwan, a former Casper High football player, ran to him and asked for his autograph. Instead of bringing up the past when Kwan helped bully him, Danny obliged. The half-ghost felt like he'd been rewarded when Kwan let him know of a party he was throwing before going back to his food. Danny pondered attending and started ordering his standard burger and fries. Before he could finish his order, Tucker and Sam walked into the restaurant. "Tucker! Sam!"

"Dude, it's been like four months. How've you been?" Tucker grew to tower Danny. He was six feet and five inches, no muscles in sight. His face was more manly even though it was absent of facial hair. And he'd long traded his red beret for a headband; he had dredlocks now and used it to keep them out of his face. Although he looked more mature, he was the same Tucker. He was still addicted to technology, thirsty for women, and quirky.

"Better now. Things have been crazy since I've returned."

Sam's eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?" Danny stared at his friend. Sam was still beautiful. She let her hair become its natural blonde, but she kept it shoulder length. She was unmistakingly Goth; although she didn't wear makeup in high school, now Sam's everyday attire included dark eyeshadow and black lipstick. She was beautiful, but Danny preferred natural beauty. Makeup was messy. Makeup was also how he got caught cheating on her. He'd always regret that. Danny shook his head. What did this say about his character?

"Are you ordering or not?" Their waitress got tired of standing there while they had a conversation. The trio apologized and ordered their usual.

"What's with her?" Tucker asked. "That is not the way to get a tip."

"Focus Tucker, Danny says things have been unusual." From experience unusual days could be paranormal.

"I came home early because my parents sounded really weird on the phone. I thought something might have been up. I get there and they're their usual selves; but Valerie, as in Valerie Gray from high school, is my room, living there! Let me tell you it was definitely like old times. She had this weapon that fazed me out of the room. Mom says I knew about this, but there's no way! I don't know what's going on. It's so bizarre that maybe it is ghost related. I don't know." Danny finished ranting. Tucker and Sam looked at each other. Danny wanted to know what they were thinking. "What?"

Sam gave him a matter-of-fact look, "Danny, you had to have known about Valerie."

"Yeah, even we've talked about it," Tucker affirmed. "Remember when I said you were lucky that you lived with such a hot girl."

"I thought you were talking about Jazz! I was creeped out." He was so creeped out he checked out of the conversation.

"Does she still hate you for being Danny Phantom?"

"She has to. Remember? We got reacquainted by through her ectocannon."

"Yep! Just like old times," Tucker joked. He reached for Sam's meal. "Are you going to eat your fries?"

Sam scoffed and slid him her basket of fries. "Well I don't know what to tell you. It's not like you'll see much of her."

"Valerie is either hunting ghosts or at Fentonworks. And honestly, these days you're not doing either."

Danny was slightly offended. "This isn't my first time home Tuck. And I still hunt ghost, but in my new town. It's just been chill lately. Does Amity even still have a major ghost problem?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, ecto vapor alerted him to the presence of a ghost.

The atmosphere grew colder and darker. The customers at the Nasty Burger whispered amongst themselves in alert. Ghosts were nothing new for them, but they were always a danger. It was rare, but people died from collateral damn and fright. One by one, the ghost removed all the doors and windows; panic erupted. They were trapped. Danny felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck when suddenly, a voice wailed. "I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

Danny laughed. He transformed at the table, no longer needed to hide. There were benefits to his identity being revealed. People cheered. "Alright Box Ghost, show yourself!" Danny assumed the fight would be quick. Even as a novice, the Box Ghost was never a real threat. He was glad it was Box Ghost instead of another ghost. He didn't have his thermos with him. He was sure a few blasts and punches would send the Box Ghost on his way.

However Danny was unprepared for the hulking spectre that appeared before him. Box Ghost was taller, built, and radiated strength. He looked as he did when Danny had to fight his evil future self. Box Ghost still had both hands and eyes though. Danny wasn't sure how that would play in his favor. "Beware!" Box Ghost faced Danny. "Well if it isn't my old nemesis, Danny Phantom. COWER! TREMBLE from the awesome might of the BOX GHOST! As you and everyone here are the _knick knacks_ in my new lunch box!"

Maybe a lot hadn't changed. "Alright creep, you're about to see what green can do for you."

Box Ghost was confused, "Green? The slogan is clearly-"

Before Box Ghost could finish Danny hit Box Ghost with a green blast from his hands. Danny's ghost ray made Box Ghost smack into the ceiling. The customers cheered. Danny smiled a little before focusing on his fight. The spectre glared at the crowd. "Don't look at them this is between you and me."

Box Ghost sent a blast toward Danny. He jumped out of the way for most of it, but his side got badly singed. "Danny!" Tucker and Sam called out. It looked bad. Danny grunted from the pain. It was trying to take his concentration. However Danny worked through it and charged at Box Ghost. He threw a right hook, Box Ghost dodged and punched Danny's injured side. "Danny!"

"Foolish nemesis, you can't beat me BOXING! I am the BOX GHOST!"

The Box Ghost punched Danny in his eye and sent him flying. "Okay, so hand to hand combat is out."

It was a back and forth of crashes and explosions. This fight was lasting way too long. Danny had no idea how much longer he would last. Danny made a shield as the Box Ghost shot a cube shaped bomb his way. Danny was panting. Holding that shield was the last thing he could do. He was tapped out. The Box Ghost was roughed up, but Danny looked and felt three times worse. Why didn't he bring his thermos? How was he going to survive this? Suddenly, a chunk of the roof crumbled under missile fire. The huntress in red flew into the building. It took her less than a second to survey the scene. She grabbed her Nine Tails and ensnared the Box Ghost. It wrapped around him and electrocuted him. He hollered in pain. Not giving him time to recover, Valerie used her thermos and trapped the Box Ghost. As soon as she closed the lid, the doors and windows reappeared on the Nasty Burger. The crowd raced outside. Danny released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. The people were safe. Kwan ran to Danny. "So about this autograph, you can have it back. See you later dude!" Danny wanted to respond, but exhaustion took him and he passed out.

* * *

Danny woke up in his living room. He groaned. The pain from his fight hit him in full force. Danny remembered feeling this way in the past, but this hadn't happened in a long time. He didn't understand. He was stronger than his high school days, had many powers and control, but he still got his tail beaten. Worse than that, he'd gotten his ass handed to him by the Box Ghost! He groaned.

"It's just going to get worse if you lay there." Danny looked up and realized he wasn't alone. Valerie in the living room as well. She was working out; she was doing modified pushups via handstand. She grunted with each push, but didn't break her rhythm. Danny stared at her. He'd never been able to do that without assistance from his powers. She showed no signs of stopping. Her white tank and grey shorts clung to her sweaty body. He wonder how many she had done. Danny wasn't out of shape. He was more muscular than he was in high school and spent time in the gym. However he was not even remotely as fit as Valerie. She made him feel insecure, fat, especially since he'd just left the Nasty Burger.

"Talk about growth spurt. How's Box Ghost get so ripped?"

Valerie wondered why Danny was still talking to her. She assumed he would avoid her while he was here on break. She contemplated doing the same thing. Even though she ended up working her dream job and her father got back on his feet, she would never forget Danny's betrayals: him and Cujo ruining her life and him never telling her that he was Danny Phantom. In hindsight she felt foolish for not realizing on her own, but love is blind. Valerie used to have major feelings for Danny. She was glad she'd outgrown that. "The Lunch Lady's meals give ghost extra power, power, and energy. Box Ghost frequently goes to her for meals. He's strong now, but still stupid." Danny remembered his glimpse of the evil future and shuddered. Perhaps Box Lunch would live in this reality too.

"How'd I get home?"

"..."

"You carried me home?"

"Yep." Valerie answered, not breaking her concentration.

Danny felt bad. He'd done nothing, but complain about her since they reunited. "Thank you."

"Sam and Tucker are in your room."

Danny started to remember why he was complaining about her. "You mean Jazz's room."

"Call it what you want, I'm not switching. I like where I am."

"I like that room. Mainly because it's my room." Danny forced himself up. Valerie looked him over and sighed. Ghost hunting without a thermos was painful work. Valerie eased herself out of her handstand and stood up. She grabbed her arm to stretch it. "You can't go without a thermos. Give me a minute to finish stretching and I'll make you another."

Danny thought about her sentence. "Make?"

"Yeah. That was the first thing your parents taught me." Danny was taken aback. He spent so much time borrowing their technology he never put much thought into the fact that his parents were expert inventors. Maybe he should have learned from them too. Valerie was now experienced in combat, versed in Amity Park's ghosts, and handy with ectotechnology. This made her very powerful. Danny was sure Valerie surpassed him in ghost hunting now. She didn't even have powers. Although he loved college, his skills were waning. He didn't train everyday like Valerie did. He couldn't forge weapons and didn't know anything current with their usual ghosts. Danny promised himself he'd learn the basics in ectotechnology. Danny conceded that Valerie belonged at Fentonworks.

'At least she doesn't wear a jumpsuit all day like them.' Danny watched as Valerie walked past him to the lab. His eyes roamed her figure before focusing on her ass and hips. He decided that living with Valerie wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Danny smirked and went to join his friends.

 **(A/N) I'll update chapter 3 a little faster than this one. Please remember to review.**

 _ **Next Chapter: Valerie and Danny have a civilized conversation while patrolling the town.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Early Mornings

Valerie woke up at five in the morning and called her father.

"はい-."

Valerie smiled. "Hi to you too, dad." His accent was getting better. She remembered the five months he spent preparing for this job. He'd bought two different type of textbooks: one that taught hiragana and vocab first before branching to grammar, katakana, and Kanji; the other textbook was primarily used to study for the JLPT. He had thousands of flashcards, notebooks of his kana and kanji, notes on sentence structure, conjugation, and syntax. Damon was also fortunate enough to have a friend to speak with everyday and a tutor two hours each week. He'd worked at learning Japanese as hard as she did fighting ghosts. Damon tried to convince her to move overseas with him. Valerie wasn't sure how that would affect her career. There were ghosts everywhere. His company specialized in ghost protection in residential areas; she jokingly called it ghost ADT. However, Valerie chose to stay in Amity Park.

"How are you sweetiepie?"

"I'm good. I just woke up of course. I'm going to do the usual."

"...I still don't like you ghost hunting. However, seeing your articles make me prouder than any man on the planet."

"Does it make you feel any better that I'm the best ghost hunter around?"

"No," Damon replied sternly. "You should be sleeping right now. Or over here making friends and shopping."

Valerie cringed. "I haven't been concerned with those things in quite a while. And as in while I'm thinking freshman year." Valerie thought about her days at Casper High. She used to be self-absorbed, only concerned with fitting in and maintaining her spot as one of the queen bees. Valerie didn't know how she let herself get caught up with such frivolities. She was never taught to look down on others. It was quite the opposite. Her mother was one of the kindest, selfless people she knew. When she was alive she'd tell her to be grateful for what she had and to always think of others. They would do charity work around Amity Park, take mission trips outside the country, and spend time together humbly. Valerie was glad that she was no longer the shallow girl who flaunted her expensive tops and bullied _geeks_ and _losers_. It was ironic; she became a bigger geek than Jazz, Danny, Sam, and even Tucker! As if asserting her geekiness, Valerie told her father "The Fentons and I are creating a ghost hunter's almanac. It's going to be great! It'll have things like which metals work best when making ghost hunting gear, ghost powers and the best ways to combat them, there may even be a section on half ghosts.

"Like Danny?"

"Yes. But mainly more Dani, the girl, with an I. She's on a school trip. I forgot when she'll be returning. Danny is also home from break; but he's definitely not thinking about this almanac. I'm not even sure he's thinking about ghosts! He left for a party last night and he's still not home. Mrs. Fenton loves that he's here even though he's never around."

"Danny's back?"

"Uh huh"

"And are you glad he's back?"

Valerie felt her face get hot. "Why would I care about that?! I'm not a fan of who he's become. Just another drunken frat boy with too much time on his hands. Trust me, his presence won't effect me in the slightest."

Damon laughed, "that's my girl. Don't ever settle for less."

Valerie smiled. "I won't. I'll talk to you later dad."

"Alright sweetheart."

"Bye." After Valerie hung up the phone, she put on biker shorts, a plain t shirt, and a ghost fighting utility belt. She grabbed her water from the refrigerator and also hooked a thermos to her side. She put her long curls into a ponytail and left Fentonworks. Valerie surveyed the street before starting to stretch. A smile grin graced her features. This was one of her favorite parts of the day. She looked her morning jog because she got to look at her town. Not only did it help her gain proficiency with her surroundings, she learned details about her city that others wouldn't ordinarily know. She knew the best places to catch the breeze or the best sun, she always knew when new business or people moved in, and she knew the best places for any commodity. Valerie continued her jog without needing rest or finding anything out of the ordinary. There were benefits to having her battle suit underneath her skin. One day Skulker was hunting for the best _food_ for his newest collection of predators. He was hunting preteens. Amity Middle had to go into Lockdown; but not for long. Since Valerie took seconds to transform, she was there in a minute. Skulker never attacked Amity Middle School again.

Valerie supposed Danny was lucky to have his suit in an instant too. She wondered if it felt the same to transform. She imagined that he must feel cold when he was Phantom. Did his heart beat as Phantom? Did he need to breathe? Valerie would never ask these questions to him personally. She didn't want anything to do with Danny even though he was her teachers' son. Valerie was in denial that he was anything more. She tried not to think about the time they spent together when she was first ghost hunting. She wanted to forget their crush and secret touches. Valerie didn't even get to kiss him. Courting Danny had been a series switch from her previous love interests. They moved fast and ended fast. She lost count of the times she was on and off with Quan. Valerie stopped her thoughts. Ever since Danny's presence she'd been thinking a lot about high school. She didn't like it. High school was long over. Why was it on her mind? The last thing she wanted was to be one of those creepy alum who stay behind to relive their high school days.

The red ghost hunter returned to Fentonworks in an hour. After checking her ecto-scanner to find no ghost activity she walked inside. Danny was sprawled on the couch looking as pained as the day he fought the Box Ghost. This time she doubted he was in any fight. She shook her head and started for the bathroom. Danny watched her as she walked past. There was that thermos; she seemed to have it at all time. Right now they couldn't be anymore different. This would be the time he would crash on the couch after a binder; she was just back from a healthy morning jog. She fit right into Fentonworks. His parents were morning people. Surprisingly they let him sleep while they made breakfast and watched the news. Valerie's entrance woke him.

"How'd you start living here again?" Valerie looked annoyed by the question. Danny threw his hands up. "Not like that. You're kind of perfect for this place."

"Yeah, I am." The ghost hunter was cocky with her statement. She put her hand on her hip. "Best ghost hunter in the game if you didn't know it."

"Second best."

Valerie scoffed. "THE best."

"..." Danny shook his head. "If that's what helps you sleep at night."

"The truth always does. You've been out of the game too long, Phantom."

Danny sighed. "Please do not call me that right now."

"... what should I call you then?"

"I don't know," he said sarcastically. "How about Danny?"

"Fenton."

"You haven't changed."

Valerie chuckled. "Maybe. To answer your question: I never stopped fighting ghost, even after than stunt you pulled. Seriously I'll never forgive you for that. When you left I was the only one around to protect Amity Park. So when my equipment started messing up, I was in trouble. I didn't know how to fix it. So I came here to FentonWorks. They showed me other gadgets and things I hadn't imagined at the time." Valerie was surprised to see that he was still listening. "After a nasty fight with Spectra I came to them to get patched up. They never revealed me as Huntress. And they took me in when they found out I was rooming alone when daddy moved to Tokyo. Jack and Maddie are good people."

Danny nodded, amazed that she took on all Amity Park's ghosts by herself and without powers. "Can I get my room back?"

"No. You might as well stop asking." Danny looked as if he were going to ask her another question. He was unusually loquacious. Valerie eyed him suspiciously. "You're drunk."

"I was, but not anymore."

"Tipsy, drunk same thing. I don't know what's gotten into you, but you need to straighten up. Your parents have been wanting to spend time with you since you arrived, but you've been shirking them off for God knows who. And don't forget Dani lives here. The last thing she needs to see is her cousin/brother/father/whatever you are to her stumbling in all hours of the morning high and drunk!" Valerie thought about the old Dani. "Seriously what happened to you?"

"College happened. But you wouldn't know anything about that since you haven't left home."

"It's not that cut and dry. Don't you dare look down on me. And don't make this a competition. I can beat you physically, mentally, academically." Her green eyes burned angrily. "I can even beat with the bad. I can out drink, out dance, out smoke you any day. Trust me, been there done that. It's not worthwhile."

"No it's not." Danny admitted. He didn't have fun tonight. He didn't like who he was with and tried to drink more to make himself enjoy himself. The night became more bitter and it made him physically sick. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," she muttered. "...I did want to go to college, but..."

Danny flinched. He thought about Cujo. Again he found himself apologizing. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I happen to like my life." That wasn't a lie. No, she wasn't rich. She wasn't popular. However, she knew he place in the world and was doing something she loved with great people. Valerie got water and bread from the kitchen. From the silence, but dirty dishes in the sink she knew Jack and Maddie had taken their own stroll around the community. Valerie handed him the typical sobering remedy.

Danny took it gratefully. "Thanks." Danny ate the bread and drank the water slowly. Bits of the night resurfaced. He grimaced. "I used to have a thing for Paulina."

"Duh. You and every other guy at Casper High. Is she why you're so down? I didn't expect her to turn down her precious _Phantom_."

Valerie said his name as if it were a curse. Danny didn't know how to respond to it so he ignored it. "She didn't turn me down. Well she didn't turn _Phantom_ down." Danny used the same level of disgust as Valerie when she'd said it. "I was at this party directly after leaving the one Quan threw. Paulina was there. She looked amazing... I remembered every reason why I liked her in highschool. I was Sam then so I never had the opportunity and that 98 Degrees song _Una Noche_ was playing so I thought it was a sign. We talk. Things go well. I take her upstairs-"

"You know I'm not Tucker right?" Valerie wondered if she had better things to do than to listen to his drunk ramblings. She didn't. This was the only reason she'd stayed so long.

"I know you're not Tucker. I wasn't even going there. Not totally. I kiss her and she looks me in the eyes and tells me she wants to make love to Phantom." Valerie's eyes widened. Danny got mad. "That always happens! I haven't had a real relationship since... since..."

"..."

"I threw it away. I cheated on her for girls like Paulina. They don't even want me for me." Danny's eyes watered. The moment with Paulina really rattled him. He wasn't sure he wanted a long term relationship again, but he did want something real. Popularity had been addicting to Danny. Before his identity came out he'd never had to deal with an onslaught of new "friends", gorgeous women who wanted him, parties, exclusivity, and free things. He wasn't able to handle it, especially when his relationship with Sam was no longer new and exciting. He crumbled to the pressure. However, Danny was learning from it. In the past he would have humored Paulina's request for Phantom and slept with her, now he respected himself more. As soon as Paulina moaned for Phantom he'd gotten up and left.

"I don't know what to tell you."

"You don't?" Danny was shocked. Valerie was a cocky know-it-all. He thought if anyone were to give their two sense, it'd be her.

"Nope."

"..."

"Make better choices I guess."

Danny smirked. "Thank you for that nugget of wisdom." Danny wiped his eyes and started up the stair. "I'm going to bed now."

"Stay out of my room," Valerie warned.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Valerie snickered when she heard him curse from the door zapping him.

"I told you so..." Valerie whispered. She thought about her conversation with Danny and went to wash the dishes.

 **(A/N) Sorry for the long update. I haven't had a lot of free time. I will always do my best to update expeditiously.**

 _ **Next Chapter: Danny and Valerie fight a ghost together.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Sidekicks

Danny woke up in the AM for the first time in a while. He squinted as the sun made Jazz's colorful room even brighter. He took a deep breath and forced himself up. He thought about Valerie. 'Should I do some pushups or something? Maybe some squats...' Danny looked around to see if anyone could see him. He got on the ground in plank position, then he pushed himself up. His arms started to shake. This was harder than he remembered. Danny occasionally worked out in the gym at his university, but very infrequently. Maybe this was why he was a little rusty. Danny stopped at five pushups. He turned over and forced himself to do twenty sit-ups. He stood up, feeling very accomplished. "Yes! Not bad for day one!" Danny went to the bathroom and showered.

Danny got dressed and headed downstairs. He couldn't hear any noise coming from the room that was once his. He assumed Valerie was out as she frequently patrolled the city. She wasn't; his parents were home too. Jack was tinkering with his gauntlets and Maddie was reading. Valerie was napping on Maddie's lap. He wasn't being particularly quiet, but she didn't budge. He wondered how often the huntress slept. She looked exhausted even through her sleep.

"You're up early," Maddie noticed. She gave him a warm smile. "I should make breakfast!"

"No, mom, that's okay. I'm just as surprised as you are."

"Maybe your sleep cycle is regulating since you no longer have exams and homework. Good job on the semester by the way."

"Way to go kiddo!"

Danny was shocked how did they know about his grades. He didn't know yet, but he felt silly for his confusion. His parents were brilliant scientists. Hacking into his account to see his final grades was child's play compared to ghost tech. He decided to view his final grades after breakfast. "Thank you." Valerie still hadn't stirred during their conversation. Maybe she was used to his dad's loquaciousness. Even though she was deep in slumber, she took precautions against ghosts. She was wearing Fenton Phones, the earrings that filtered ghost noise. It was more stylish than the version he was used to. This model didn't stick out nor was it green; they were sleek, red ear loops. Danny wondered if she designed them herself. Gray Phones? Valerie Phones? He was amazed by her skill. The thermos she made for him was compact and able to detach from the metal wristband she made. He wanted to ask if she could teach him; although his parents showed him countless times he was more interested now that Valerie knew. Looking at her exhaustion he wondered if it was fair to ask. "Does she usually sleep this hard?"

"Usually not for long. Ghost hunters are always alert. It makes me so happy that she trusts us enough to let herself to succumb to such a deep sleep." Maddie smiled at the sleeping huntress fondly. "So what are your plans for today, Danny?"

"I might hang out at Sam's with Tuck. Patrolling, nothing interesting."

"Ghost hunting is always interesting. Even when it's not! Those days when no ghost show I just can't help but wonder why. Where are all the ghost? What are they planning?" Jack rubbed his chin. "Somebody's planning something. I can feel it."

Danny's gaze fell back to Valerie once more before he made his breakfast. Seeing her with his mother made him realize how great his life was for him. He also felt slightly jealous. Valerie was filling the role his parents desperately wanted their children to play. She fought ghosts, learned and update their technology, stayed closed close to home; most of all she listened to them. Danny needed to work on his listening skills. He dated Valerie, he almost asked her to be his girlfriend. He thought they were close, but he realized that he didn't know anything about her. Her dad was overseas, but where was her mother? Was she absent? Was she alive? What relationship did they have? Perhaps it was why Valerie bonded so wholeheartedly to Jack and Maddie.

* * *

Halfway to Sam's house, Danny felt his ghost breath alert him to another phantom. He transformed and surveyed his surroundings. He was punched upward by a glowing skeleton. That was odd. Danny never saw this type isolated; these ghosts tended to be homogeneous henchmen.

"A ghost skeleton, kind of out of place. Halloween isn't for another six months." Danny quipped. Not his best, but Danny was still rusty. However, his foe didn't take the quip kindly. If he had skin Danny's quip would have certainly gotten underneath it. The skeleton frowned as best as it could and pointed to Danny in outrage. His jaw clacked rapidly as if speaking. Without a tongue or vocal chords, Danny was at a loss. However it was very clear when the ghost folded all, but his middle phalanges. "Oh, it is on!"

The ghost materialized a sword and rushed Danny with rapid strikes. He dodged them with moderate effort. The skeletal ghost's movements became faster and more frequent. The grace was deteriorating, anger made its strikes random. Elbowing and kneeing the hero always landed; thanks to it being pure bone, it hurt! Danny wondered if this rage was really from a Halloween joke. It didn't matter. He wasn't great with close range attacks. He created a barrier and pushed it away. Not giving it time to retaliate, Danny blasted its skull off its body. The body seemed stunned, but only for a second. In that second Daniel grabbed his thermos and sucked it in.

Before Danny could revert back to his human form a wave of skeletal ghost emerged. "Of course. It's never that easy." Danny spent the next two hours chasing and corraling skeletal ghost. It was strange. These beings had no direction. Hundreds were casually walking down the street or standing perfectly still waiting for direction. The chaotic ones chased citizens, some were attacking, and a few of them were oddly fighting each other. Danny was chasing three that decided to wander into traffic. Valerie flew in wrangling them with a Fenton Grappler. They poofed into dust.

"Overwhelmed, Phantom?"

"Thanks for the assist, but I didn't need your help," Danny said sucking a cluster of the homogeneous phantoms.

She did the same. "Likewise."

"Any ideas on where this horde came from?"

"I thought you didn't need my help."

"I usually brainstorm with Sam and Tucker."

Valerie took out an old thermos and engulfed scores of skeletons. "Well, I work alone."

Danny groaned as he created giant boxes which trapped the remainder of the ghosts. With a grunt, he crushed them. Valerie gathered their bones while Danny caught his breath. "See, it goes faster with teamwork."

Valerie chuckled lowly. She put her hands on her hips. "I remember working with you in high school. We don't communicate well, Fenton."

"We're not in high school."

"No, we're not. I guess it doesn't matter. You'll be gone in a few months and everything will be back to normal. With you here, I can have a summer vacation too."

A gang of kids ran up to them as soon as the danger passed. They cheered. "You're back!" "Danny Phantom! Danny Phantom!" "Huntress!" "Team Phantom!" "Are you guys teaming up? Are you two together?" "Are you guys married?" "Who's the leader?"

Danny put his arm around Valerie. "Huntress is a valued member of Team Phantom."

Valerie elbowed him in his side. She bent down to their level and smiled underneath her mask. "What Phantom meant to say is he's really enjoyed being my sidekick."

"Technically you'd be the sidekick. I've been doing this longer."

"But I do it better. We need to flush these ghosts."

"Alright." Danny took off. "Race ya!"

Valerie glared and took off after him.

It only took three seconds for Valerie to feel a little foolish for chasing after Danny. Perhaps it was her profession that made her take his bait. She'd always catch ghosts. Their interactions confirmed that she needed to expand her circle. Maybe she'd get a social media account, go to the mall, or find a date. Although her hunting skills were excellent, she thought that Danny was more rounded than she was. Catering to her competitive nature she accelerates jetting herself past Danny and landing on the roof. The ghost shield must not have been on because he fazed into the lab seamlessly.

"I win." They both said at the same time. "No, you didn't. I won."

"Whatever," Valerie said sending the ghosts she caught into the Fenton Flush. One push and they were back into the Ghost Zone. Danny followed her lead. "Maybe it wasn't the brightest move for us both to be flushing ghosts at the same time. One of us could be patroling Amity. I'll take the rest of the day, there's something more to this attack. I can feel it."

"My dad thinks there's a ghost plotting."

She shrugged. "He's probably not wrong."

"If it will make you feel better I can watch Amity. Enjoy a day off."

Valerie thought about making social media accounts and reconnecting with friends. She felt herself blush. That was probably a bad idea. What would she talk about? Did she even have recent pictures? Doubt made Valerie decide against it. "I'd rather not."

"Alright, then we can watch Amity together."

"I work better alone, but I won't protest as long as you don't get in the way."

Danny analyzed her body language. He couldn't get a read on her emotions. "This is playful banter, right?"

"Sure."

 **(A/N) Some do not like that Danny cheated on Sam in this story. However, from what we've seen of Danny from the show it's entirely possible. Danny always struggles with right and wrong and is easily seduced by popularity and his hormones. Once his identity was revealed Danny most likely got the attention and adoration of millions. It's a world he's not used to. Even though he loves Sam, he's a teenage boy; they make mistakes.**

 **Next Chapter: The arrival of a new ghost put Valerie and Danny at odds.**


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